Afcon side ‘angry’ after Fifa ruling throws plans into disarray

The Africa Cup of Nations is due to start on 21 December, with players only needing to be released by their clubs on 15 December

Fifa made their ruling on when clubs will need to release their players for Afcon last week (Sam Corum/PA) (PA Wire)

Comoros’s aspirations for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) have been severely undermined by a last-minute decision from Fifa to delay the release of players, according to their coach, Stefano Cusin.

The smallest nation competing in the tournament, Comoros is set to face highly-fancied hosts Morocco in the opening game in Rabat on 21 December.

However, their meticulously planned preparations have been thrown into disarray after world football’s governing body altered the mandatory release date for players to their national teams.

Last week, Fifa announced that clubs are only required to release players on 15 December, a full seven days short of the customary 14-day period preceding a continental championship.

This abrupt change has plunged pre-tournament camps and friendly fixtures for many of the 24 participating nations into chaos.

Fifa announced that players would only need to be released on 15 December (AFP via Getty Images)

Comoros, making their second appearance at the finals and hoping to emulate the giant-killing exploits of their 2021 campaign in Cameroon, are among the worst affected, Cusin confirmed.

"We planned a training camp in Tunisia with a friendly game against Botswana this coming weekend," he told Reuters. "Everything was ready, but now we have had to change everything. It affects us more than other teams because we're going to play in the opening game."

With all their players drawn from clubs across Europe and the Middle East, the impact is particularly acute.

"Releasing players on December 15 means we'll only get in four or five training sessions before our first game," Cusin added, expressing his frustration.

"We are angry about that; it was not correct to tell us just one week before. If we'd known from the beginning, then we could have made a different plan."

The dates for the Cup of Nations, running from 21 December to 18 January, were originally chosen to avoid clashes with the Champions League and other major European club competitions.